A Giant Debacle

I don't even know where to begin with this post.  But in my lifetime as a Giant fan, I have only experienced two losses that even come close to this - the 2003 wild card game against San Francisco and the 2006 loss to the Titans.

As I watched the first half from a Hoboken bar, I figured there was no reason to worry.  The Giants were on their way to wrapping up the division and we had seen Michael Vick limp, if only briefly, at the hand of Justin Tuck.  24-3 was the score at the half.  If the Giant defense played the way they did in the first half, the Giants would breeze through to a long needed victory against the hated Eagles.

The second half began with an Eagles TD, but the Giants responded back, making it a 31-10 game.  With under eight minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Eagles managed 3 TDs, sparked by an unexpected onside kick and by Michael Vick's fantastic running game.  To my amazement, the game was tied.

I already knew that the Giants were in trouble by the time the Eagles had closed it to seven, but the game was now tied and the Giants had just gone three and out on offense.  Matt Dodge, the unpredictable rookie punter, was ordered to put the ball away from kick-returner extraordinaire and showman Desean Jackson, creating as much hangtime as possible and allowing them to take as much time off of the clock as possible to force overtime.  Instead, Dodge punted the ball on a straight line drive to Jackson, who briefly fumbled the ball, but then returned the ball for a TD, stopping to prance around before entering the end zone.

I sat in disbelief at how this could have happened.  Rather than delve into my hatred for the Eagles and their two stars of the game, here is what I think happened (Although I will say that Desean Jackson's antics better stop because it will come back to haunt him at some point.  If only the Giants had realized he was going to prance around the 1 yard line they could have knocked him down, forcing overtime.  Or better yet, the officials should have flagged him for unsportsmanlike conduct before entering the end zone).


The offense became flat in the second half, as the Giants were never able to fully establish a running attack.  On top of it, quite simply, the Giant defense got lazy in the fourth quarter and couldn't get past the Eagles offensive line.  They left too many receivers with too little coverage and the offensive line prevented the Giants from getting anymore good shots at Vick.  But what really killed them is what has killed them all year long - special teams.  They were completely unprepared for the onside kick and blew the game for them in the last 14 seconds of regulation.

What does this mean for the Giants?  Well, first off, it means that they need to win out in their final two games.  With some help they will still make the playoffs, but certainly could have benefited from the # 2 seed and therefore a first round bye week.  Second, Tom Coughlin is officially on the hot seat.  I was never a fan of Tom Coughlin from the beginning but grew to like him as he changed his demeanor.  However, such a loss in unacceptable for a team that has showed it is capable of much more and he may not be able to survive another end of season collapse.  Third, Matt Dodge's days as punter are numbered.  Not only was he unable to handle the basic task of punting a ball out of bounds and away from Desean Jackson but he did the exact opposite of what Coughlin wanted and Coughlin let him know it after the game, right on the field and in front of his teammates.  Think Jerry Reese might be placing a call to Jeff Feagles today?

Anyhow, what are your thoughts?

(Photo courtesy ESPN.com.  Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images).